Workplace dress codes can bring out the worst in managers and the best in petty creativity.

When one postman’s bosses demanded he tie up his long hair, he decided to follow the rule in a way the bosses never saw coming.

What they got was a weeklong display of pink-ribbon perfection.

Keep reading for the full story!

You need to tie your hair up!

So, during the 1970s, my dad worked for the Royal Mail (British postal service) as a postman.

Like many men at the time, he had long hair (just below his shoulders).

His bosses tried to make him change his hairstyle.

His managers had an issue with this and told him he needed to sort his hair out and tie it up if he wasn’t going to cut it.

Now, my dad is an AH, and it came in handy here.

So the postman fought back in a bold way.

He went home that day and told my mum, and she agreed to get up early to tie his hair for him before work.

The next day, he went into work with the most delightful pigtails, tied up with some lovely pink ribbons.

You can guess what happened after that.

My dad greeted his manager and said he’d tied his hair up, as requested, and then went off to do his round.

He wore his pigtails for a week until coming back with his hair down after a weekend off and never got crap for it again.

Sometimes you just have to show your boss how much worse the alternative is!

Redditors chime in with their thoughts.

It’s funny how hair fads come and go.

Breaking a dress code can have consequences, but it can also provide a lot of entertainment.

Malicious compliance really can be quite effective.

There’s nothing more frustrating than being forced to follow a completely nonsensical rule.

He never heard another word about his hair, with the pink ribbons ensuring his victory.

Now this is malicious compliance perfectly executed.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.